From Legacy to Leadership: Sophia Carter’s Ten Years at Aqua Protec

A decade at the helm of a business with over 30 years behind it is no small milestone.

As Managing Director, Sophia Carter has led Aqua Protec through a period of growth, evolution, and raised standards, building on the foundations originally set by her father. Over the past ten years, she has shaped the direction of the business, investing in people, systems, and processes that underpin the company’s reputation across healthcare and beyond.

To mark this milestone, we sat down with Sophia to reflect on the journey so far - what’s changed, what’s been achieved, and what still lies ahead.

Sophia Carter - Managing Director

What was your vision for Aqua Protec and has it been achieved?

The most important aspect of my vision for Aqua Protec was to ensure that the service we delivered were to the highest possible standards. I was aware that we had a large client base in healthcare, and it was important to me to ensure that the services we sell keep the vulnerable patients safe. Over the last decade I have made a significant investment into training, technology and validation and verification processes to ensure our service delivery matches my expectations and maintains our reputation.

What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

I think the Covid pandemic would be high up there, as it would for many businesses in the last decade. The Covid pandemic made me realise how adaptable and resilient I was, and I learnt so much more about how to push the boundaries of the business. As a team we had always been very customer first focussed, but it allowed us to further refine our adaptability to suit each individual client’s needs which are practices that are now fully embedded throughout our Project Management team.

How important is Company culture to you?

Company culture is everything to a successful business when you are working in the service industry. I am very fortunate to have a positive team around me who wholeheartedly invest into the values and ethos of the business. A member of the team recently said about a colleague: “if you cut him in half, you would see he has ‘Aqua Protec’ running through him like a stick of rock”. I am so proud to have team members who are nearing the one decade of service marker alongside me.

What are your values as a Company leader?

Clear, honest and reliable communication. Accountability.

Do you describe yourself as a risk taker?

This question makes me laugh. Absolutely not. I do take risks. I believe my natural instinct to avoid risks makes Aqua Protec a good Company within the Health and Safety Compliance Sector. All of our policies and processes have been written or verified with minimising risk at the forefront of the thought process.

I am not entirely risk adverse, I believe that a measured approach towards risk is important for growth and there have been may times in the last decade that I have made a decision that I knew posed risk, but the potential reward was worth it.

Does anything ever surprise you about Aqua Protec?

Genuinely how far we have come, and how far ahead we are as a business, particularly when it comes to digitisation and innovation. Sometimes I am privy to documentation from other suppliers in the industry and I see (sometimes illegible) handwritten paperwork scanned to a pdf. Even in 2000 when I first worked at the Company Aqua Protec would provide a typed copy of the report accompanied by the original paperwork. I have to remind Myself that our ability to provide real-time data, and full reports within hours of a site visit, (following technical verification of a member of our Project Management Team) is a long way ahead and something we should be proud of.

What has been your biggest professional achievement?

When I started at Aqua Protec in 2014 as Quality and Standards Manager, the business had very few procedures, a handful of policies and no accreditations. We now boast a portfolio of 10 Accreditations, Registrations, and Memberships relevant to the work we do in the industry and nearly 500 documented Policies and Procedures to support the team with their work.

What are your long-term goals for Aqua Protec?

I wear Aqua Protec on my sleeve like a badge of honour. I am proud of our reputation as high quality and reliable. I am excited about the innovation and growth of the business, this year in particular the launch of AquaProTrack®

Get to know Sophia:

What was your first job? At 16 I was the ‘can I help you girl’ – yes that was my job title! - at my local Supermarket as they went through refurbishment work. I walked around wearing a sash saying ‘can I help you’ ensuring customers could find everything they needed.

What is one thing about you that surprises people? I am severely allergic to bananas.

Tea or coffee? Coffee, I last drank a cup of tea in 2018.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Particularly relating to business, “always get value for money”.

Do you have any pets? Dogs and chickens!

What is a hobby or passion you have outside of work? Musical theatre. Pre-children I spent a lot of my spare time rehearsing and performing in musicals at the Crecent Theatre in Birmingham. The last few years I have been a judge at the Palace Theatre in Redditch for the community event ‘Redditch Has Talent’.

Summer or winter? Summer. I love the cosiness of winter, but the novelty wears off quickly. Long warm summer days are my favourite.

What are you most grateful for in life? I think it goes without saying, my children and my partner. But I wouldn’t be where I am now without my ‘village’. There are so many people who have supported me over the last decade in my professional endeavours and through the personal challenges life has thrown me, all of whom I am very grateful for.